Monday, October 24, 2011

There are classics that you don't get tired of no matter how often you eat them. My experience with lobster has been limited. It just got to the point where I would avoid it since many places cooks it using the tried and true method to please everyone. Don't get me started when you go to a Chinese restaurant and order a lobster or go to a Chinese wedding. My body would just shut down into a coma smelling that ginger and scallion sauce.

This place is hard to spot on the road since it is facing east and the view is also blocked by a gas station. Personally I wanted a change from the family's usual go to spot for Chinese food. I managed to get the family together and took Kiki's advice to reserve a table ahead of time. It didn't take long before people started to pour in and only those with reservations would get seats. The decor looks just like any typical Chinese restaurant and it's a rather small place. The tables in the dining area are for larger groups and the unlucky smaller groups sit in a heated outdoor patio. Sadly my table was facing the patio so there was a chill every time the waiters went in and out to the patio. Let's forget about that sore spot and talk about the food.

The waitress on Kiki's blog was there again but she didn't serve us. Originally we wanted to start with just the dinner for five and then see if our appetites could handle more food. Our waitress was very direct telling us we had 90 minutes of seating time before the next group comes in. If we didn't order all the food now that they wouldn't take any more orders from us later. Apparently there are 4 categories when ordering the shellfish. The price ranges from $10.99 to $16.99 per pound. We settled on a five pound Lobster dinner for five with two extra dishes. After taking our order, the waitress returned with the fresh lobster, told us the weight and showed it to us for approval. Since the Shark Fin ban may start as soon as the next day we figured we would get our last taste of it. It was hard waiting for the food since we would see humongous dishes piled high with lobster that looked like it was one foot tall.

The first dish that came out was the Shark Fin soup in five bowls. It was a bit awkward at first but we managed to split the soup for seven people. While having my soup I found a nice pieces of real crab meat in the soup which was a nice touch.

Our main course had arrived and I couldn't wait seeing all those other delicious dishes passing by. Everyone's eyes took a double take at the mountainous pile before us. Those pieces were so large and juicy that I almost forgot how perfectly cooked lobster tasted like. What really delighted me was the special herb or root they used for seasoning having an earthiness with the sweetness from the meat. It is some Chinese name that I have never heard of but it made me salivate for it. My father was extra surprised when he picked up the lobster head and found the head was intact and with roe still inside. I don't think I've been to another restaurant that leaves the roe and the head of the lobster untouched.

Following the lobster was the free range chicken and fish dish landing on the table. Neither of the dishes was memorable and my parents and I both agree they were a bit bland. Luckily my niece is not a fussy eater so she was happy when the other two non seafood dishes came to 'change the flavor in the mouth' as they say in Chinese. It is rare that they serve sweet and sour pork with the sauce separately and it is something I think more places should do. This sauce looked like your type red was not too sweet and the pork had a light batter that made it look more like pork nuggets. As a garlic lover I loved seeing what looks like a whole clove chopped and fried spread out on pieces of cubed steak.

All this food on the table was not the end of the meal. It was about another twenty minute wait before the rest of the food arrived but the break was much appreciated. In my lobster euphoria I forgot to take the pictures for the rest of the meal. The surprise hit of the night was the fried eel with the Chinese string beans with a mystery ingredient. Our table had fun guessing what it was since these small crispy slivers were scattered around the plate. Referring back to Kiki's blog I found out that they were these small white rice fish and my father got it right! I didn't know he is such a foodie! Finally the last two dishes came out which was the baby bokchoy with king mushrooms and lobster roe fried rice. We were a bit peeved that the rice came at the end. The fried rice wasn't just scented with the roe as I could taste the flavor in the rice which makes me wonder how much roe did they use to accomplish this? The complementary dessert this time was hot black sesame paste and it was rich and sweet unlike many places that serves a watered down version. If I could freeze this then it would be close to what Yuzu Sushi served for their black sesame ice cream!

In the end I would definitely go back there again. My parents loved it so much that they said if they won the lottery they would come back every weekend! lol